The principal goal of the proposed Center for Targeted Therapeutics (CTT), a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) at the University of South Carolina (USC), is to attract and foster the professional development of talented junior scientists, who are motivated to make a difference in the treatment of serious diseases. The CTT will be located at the SC College of Pharmacy (SCCP) at the University of South Carolina (USC) and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), with one of the target faculty at the USC School of Medicine (SOM). The Center operations include four research projects led by four target junior faculty members (two at USC-SCCP, one at MUSC-SCCP and one at USC-SOM), with expertise in functional genomics, drug discovery, neuroscience and nanoparticle drug delivery. The Program will also include three resource cores: the Functional Genomics Core (USC-SCCP), the Synthetic Chemistry and Drug Discovery Core (MUSC-SCCP) and the Microscopy and Flow Cytometry Core (USCSCCP), each managed by a Director and a co-Director, who will provide scientific and intellectual advice in project development, along with technological support. Each of the projects will be working with each of the cores, except that one project, based at MUSC, will not utilize the Microscopy and Flow Cytometry core at USC. The CTT will take advantage of the existing integration between USC and MUSC in the South Carolina College of Pharmacy, which is in the unique position of being shared between the two Universities, with strong components on both campuses, and a well-developed system of video communication that allows for seamless communication and sharing of teaching and research programs. The CTT will be well-positioned to take full advantage of the resources of both institutions, where drug discovery and translational research are strong priorities, and also interface with IDeA programs already in place. The CTT umbrella will encompass several scientific areas critical for targeted therapeutics and spanning multiple diseases among which are cancer and neurologic disorders that are particularly relevant to the South Carolina population.